[Balin] Centrifuge! (Lateral maze)

[Balin]

I've never actually been on the forum for a full, completed lateral maze. But after archive-crawling, I came across one called "Prism" (from 2005 - the only one I could find in the archives) and decided to give the concept a try.
You open your eyes to find yourself in a white room.
On three of the walls, there is a doorway with a silver "force field" or portal blocking your view to the next room. Each doorway has a gold number hanging over it.
The fourth wall has a piece of paper taped to it.

[GalFisk]

Read the numbers. Poke at the force fields. Do they seem passable? Look at the piece of paper. Is there text on it? Graphics? Other stuff? Take it down. Is there anything underneath? Or on the backside of it?

[Balin]

Read the numbers. Above one of the force fields is a gold 5, another has a 6, and the third a 7.
Poke at the force fields. Do they seem passable? You can pass your hand through each of them cleanly.
Look at the piece of paper. Is there text on it? Graphics? Other stuff? There's a 5x5 grid of boxes. The center box is gold; every other box is white. In the middle box in the bottom row is the text "You Are Here."
Take it down. Done. Is there anything underneath? Or on the backside of it? Nope, it's blank on the back and there's nothing on the wall behind it. You stick the note into your pocket.
Upon sticking your hand into your pocket you discover a compass. Using the compass, you determine that the 5 portal is on the west wall, the 6 is north, and the 7 is east.

[Tiger]

How fun! Reminds of that lateral story with returning the movies that you did on the old forum.

Let's go west, through portal 5. What do you see when you pass?

[Balin]

How fun! Reminds of that lateral story with returning the movies that you did on the old forum. Thanks - that was a fun puzzle to run.

Let's go west, through portal 5. What do you see when you pass?
Your vision blurs as you pass through the silver portal, but recovers once you are completely through. In front of you on the west wall is another portal, only this one is a darker silver, almost black. It has the number 54 over it in gold.
The north wall has a portal as well, the same color silver as in the previous room. (To distinguish the two shades, let's use "silver" and "black.") Above this one is a gold 43.
Behind you, on the east wall, is the silver portal marked "5."
The south wall is blank.

[GalFisk]

Poke at the black portal. Can it be passed? If it can: pass it. If it can not, kick it in frustration and go north instead, through 43. Do all portals so far have the same number on both sides?

[Balin]

Poke at the black portal. Can it be passed? You try to push your hand through the black portal but you meet with resistance. The portal pushes you back. If it can: pass it. If it can not, kick it in frustration The portal pushes your foot back and you fall on your backside. and go north instead, through 43. You're now in a room with four portals.
North wall: 52, silver
East wall: 11, silver
South wall: 43, silver
West wall: 20, black
Do all portals so far have the same number on both sides? It would appear that this is the case.

[GalFisk]

Can we assume that all black portals are closed? If not, let's always poke them (carefully), to be sure. Is there anything of notice to see in this room, except the numbered portals? What will we see if we continue north?

[Balin]

Can we assume that all black portals are closed? You test this black portal, and it again does not let you pass. You decide it's a safe assumption that black portals are impassable. If not, let's always poke them (carefully), to be sure.
Is there anything of notice to see in this room, except the numbered portals? No, just the black and silver portals with the gold numbers hanging over them. What will we see if we continue north? You step through the 52 portal. In this room:
North: 30, silver
East: 75, silver
South: 12, silver
West: 71, silver
Wait... you double-check the number above the south portal. Yes, it's still a 12. That's odd - you entered through a portal with the number 52.

[biograd]

Go south again. Does the north portal in this room still show 52? What about the other three portals, are their numbers the same? Is the west portal still black?

[biograd]

(To clarify, yes I did mean south, and I knew we have never gone south before--the "again" was just to indicate that you should exit through the portal through which you just entered)

[Balin]

Go south again. Does the north portal in this room still show 52? What about the other three portals, are their numbers the same? Is the west portal still black?
(To clarify, yes I did mean south, and I knew we have never gone south before--the "again" was just to indicate that you should exit through the portal through which you just entered)
You step south through the 12 portal and emerge facing a silver portal marked 43. You look around - yes, you are back in the room you had passed through, with portals numbered 43, 11, 52, and 20. The 20 portal is still black, and the rest are still silver.

[GalFisk]

How far can we keep going north? When we can go no further, is it because we meet a wall, or a black portal? Check the numbers in any new rooms we enter, and see if there are any more numbers that don't match. If we also keep an eye on the sheet of paper, does the arrangement of the rooms seem to match the paper, or do we end up "outside" the paper if we imagine that the golden box is our starting point?

[Balin]

How far can we keep going north? Well, the paper shows a 5x5 grid, so you probably can't go outside that
When we can go no further, is it because we meet a wall, or a black portal? Both rooms along the south side of the grid we were in had no portal on the south wall. So you'd guess a wall.
Check the numbers in any new rooms we enter, and see if there are any more numbers that don't match. All right. Is there a particular portal you want me to go through right now?
If we also keep an eye on the sheet of paper, does the arrangement of the rooms seem to match the paper, or do we end up "outside" the paper if we imagine that the golden box is our starting point? If the golden box is the start, then we'd have already been outside the paper... what if that isn't the start? You think back - there was another labeled room on the paper....

[biograd]

I'm guessing that the gold box is where we are trying to get, as there was already another box labeled "You are here".

If we call the left column "1" and the bottom row "1", then it seems we started at (3, 1) and went to (2, 1), then to (2, 2), (2, 3), and back to (2, 2). So far (1, 1) and (1, 2) seem to be locked. We might want to check later and make sure the other door into (1, 2) from the north is also locked, but for now, lets go north back to (2, 3) and then go east to (3, 3), the gold square, because (surprisingly) that door seems already passable.

[Balin]

I'm guessing that the gold box is where we are trying to get, as there was already another box labeled "You are here". Yes, and that box is along the south wall. The gold box is probably the exit.

If we call the left column "1" and the bottom row "1", then it seems we started at (3, 1) and went to (2, 1), then to (2, 2), (2, 3), and back to (2, 2). So far (1, 1) and (1, 2) seem to be locked. We might want to check later and make sure the other door into (1, 2) from the north is also locked, but for now, lets go north back to (2, 3) and then go east to (3, 3), the gold square, because (surprisingly) that door seems already passable. You go back north through the 52 portal into the 30-75-12-71 room, and head east through the portal marked 75.
However, other than the numbers above each portal, there is nothing gold in this room, nor anything spectacular marking it as the exit. All portals in this room are silver. The one in front of you, on the east wall, has the number 23. South, to your right, is 41. Behind you (west) is 37, and north on your left is 22.

[biograd]

Hmm... so we just found another door where the numbers on the two sides don't match.

Go south twice to complete a loop, noting the numbers for the room in between (so we can see if any more pairs don't match).

[Balin]

Hmm... so we just found another door where the numbers on the two sides don't match.

Go south twice to complete a loop, noting the numbers for the room in between (so we can see if any more pairs don't match). You pass south through the 41 portal. In this room, you check behind you - yes, the north portal does have a 41, and is silver. West is 81 and east is 72, but both those portals are black. South is 55, and is silver, so you do step south again.
Again, you check the portal behind you after passing through, and again, you have a match - the portal on the north wall is silver and is marked with a 55. The west portal is also silver, and has the number 82 above it. The south portal, 28, and east portal, 88, are both black.

[biograd]

Very interesting--so now we have not only another non-match (not along our path, but the door marked 81 seems to be the other side of the one that previously had an 11 above), but we have three new circumstances:

1. We seem to have found a portal that is a different color on each side--namely that same 81/11 door, which was silver on the west (11) side but is black on the east (81) side.
2. A loop that should have brought us back to the 5/6/7 room has taken us to a room with completely different numbers.
3. That last room is doubly odd because its south wall is NOT a blank, solid wall, which makes me think it's a totally new room, rather than our passing through the portals having somehow changed the numbers.

That's, of course, if the map is correct. It seems like it makes the most sense to retrace our last 4 steps (i.e., go north-north-west-south), stopping if anything unexpected happens (in other words, if any numbers or portal colors are different from how they were going in the forward direction).

Assuming everything is as expected, then go east through the "11" portal, and see if you wind up in the 41/81/72/55 room, or again in a room that looks completely new.

[Balin]

Very interesting--so now we have not only another non-match (not along our path, but the door marked 81 seems to be the other side of the one that previously had an 11 above), but we have three new circumstances:

1. We seem to have found a portal that is a different color on each side--namely that same 81/11 door, which was silver on the west (11) side but is black on the east (81) side.
2. A loop that should have brought us back to the 5/6/7 room has taken us to a room with completely different numbers.
3. That last room is doubly odd because its south wall is NOT a blank, solid wall, which makes me think it's a totally new room, rather than our passing through the portals having somehow changed the numbers.

That's, of course, if the map is correct. It seems like it makes the most sense to retrace our last 4 steps (i.e., go north-north-west-south), stopping if anything unexpected happens (in other words, if any numbers or portal colors are different from how they were going in the forward direction).

Assuming everything is as expected, then go east through the "11" portal, and see if you wind up in the 41/81/72/55 room, or again in a room that looks completely new.

You go back north through the 55 portal, and do end up back in the 41/72/81/55 rom.
North again puts you back in the 22/23/41/37 room. So far, so good.
You pass west through the 37, and... OK, this is different. You're now in a room you have yet to visit. The silver portal in front of you, on the west wall, is marked 75. North is 13, and silver. East (behind you) is 37, and is silver. However, the south portal is black. Above it is a gold 80.

[biograd]

I'm thoroughly confused now. So in addition to all the other info, we have:

--Going backwards is not always the reverse of going forward.
--The only time this has not been the case, you passed through a portal that had different numbers on the two "sides". Furthermore, on the reverse trip the numbers DID match.
--However, the other time you went backwards through a portal with two numbers that didn't match, it behaved completely as expected. So it also isn't true that there must always be a direction through every portal where the numbers match.

Try going east now. If we get back to the room we just came from, at least we can expect that movements through portals with matching numbers can be retraced. Though in that case we also learn that there isn't a unique "entry portal" for every "exit portal".

[Balin]

I'm thoroughly confused now. So in addition to all the other info, we have:

--Going backwards is not always the reverse of going forward. Sort of. Cardinal directions in the maze are cardinal directions in the real world - west is opposite of east, and so on. However, going, say, west through one portal, then in the new room through the east portal, will not always put you back in the same room.
--The only time this has not been the case, you passed through a portal that had different numbers on the two "sides". Furthermore, on the reverse trip the numbers DID match.
--However, the other time you went backwards through a portal with two numbers that didn't match, it behaved completely as expected. So it also isn't true that there must always be a direction through every portal where the numbers match. Right - not every portal will take you to a room with a matching (same number) portal.

Try going east now. If we get back to the room we just came from, at least we can expect that movements through portals with matching numbers can be retraced. Though in that case we also learn that there isn't a unique "entry portal" for every "exit portal". You head east and indeed end up back in the 22/23/41/37 room.

[biograd]

Go east as far as you can go (until you either hit a blank wall, or a black portal). If you hit a blank wall, how many times did you have to go east to get there?

[Balin]

Go east as far as you can go (until you either hit a blank wall, or a black portal). If you hit a blank wall, how many times did you have to go east to get there? I head east once, through the 23 portal, and immediately hit a blank east wall. Behind me (west) is the 23 portal, and it is still silver. The south portal to my right, designated 44, is also silver; however, the north portal, with the number 18 over it, is black.

[biograd]

Now go west through the 23 door, and assuming that you end up back in the 37/22/23/41 room, continue going west (otherwise stop there). We already know that going west through portal 37 gets us out through a portal with a matching number, and the next west portal on that room is numbered 75. Does going west again make us pop out of the east 75 portal (in the 71/30/75/12 room, where we were earlier)? If you keep going west, how long before you hit a black portal or a wall?

[Balin]

Now go west through the 23 door, and assuming that you end up back in the 37/22/23/41 room, I do end up back in there.

continue going west (otherwise stop there). We already know that going west through portal 37 gets us out through a portal with a matching number, and the next west portal on that room is numbered 75. I go west through the 37 portal, and am back in the 13/37/80/75 room.

Does going west again make us pop out of the east 75 portal (in the 71/30/75/12 room, where we were earlier)? If you keep going west, how long before you hit a black portal or a wall? I go west through the 75 portal, and do NOT end up in the earlier room. Instead, I am in an entirely new room, and the west wall is blank. The east portal behind me is numbered 71, and is silver; the south portal is black and has a gold 32 hanging over it; and the north portal, numbered 38, is also silver.

[biograd]

It seems there is only one map that is now consistent with all of what we have seen, and I have put it here as a text file that should work with all fixed-width fonts.
http://textuploader.com/lovm
The portals in parentheses are black. The arrows indicate that a room is skipped over when traveling in the direction of the arrow, but not in the other directions. The "missing room" with the double-headed arrow is at this time only inferred, and in fact it's impossible to get into, because on the east side is our destination, and on the west side is a region of the maze that is locked at all other entrances. But it allows each portal to have only one number, and is necessary to explain why we never got to the gold room.

The only remaining way to get into the gold room (without unlocking any black portals) is from the room directly south of it, and you now know how to get to all of the other rooms around that one, whose portals into that room (6, 11, and 82) are all silver. You *could* try them until you find the first one that doesn't skip (or if #6 skips it actually helps you!), but then the north door of that room could still be black...

It strikes me as odd that so much of the grid seems to be forever off limits, so I'm guessing there may be a key somewhere. Therefore, I'd suggest going north through portal 38 and then east through as much of the top row as you can get to, looking for a key.

In other news, is anyone else reading this puzzle??

[Balin]

It seems there is only one map that is now consistent with all of what we have seen, and I have put it here as a text file that should work with all fixed-width fonts.
http://textuploader.com/lovm
The portals in parentheses are black. The arrows indicate that a room is skipped over when traveling in the direction of the arrow, but not in the other directions. The "missing room" with the double-headed arrow is at this time only inferred, and in fact it's impossible to get into, because on the east side is our destination, and on the west side is a region of the maze that is locked at all other entrances. But it allows each portal to have only one number, and is necessary to explain why we never got to the gold room.

That is a very good and very accurate map!

The only remaining way to get into the gold room (without unlocking any black portals) is from the room directly south of it, and you now know how to get to all of the other rooms around that one, whose portals into that room (6, 11, and 82) are all silver. You *could* try them until you find the first one that doesn't skip (or if #6 skips it actually helps you!), but then the north door of that room could still be black...

It strikes me as odd that so much of the grid seems to be forever off limits, Not "off-limits" so much as "you haven't found the way into those rooms yet" so I'm guessing there may be a key somewhere. Therefore, I'd suggest going north through portal 38 and then east through as much of the top row as you can get to, looking for a key. You step north through the 38 portal and end up in a room with only two portals, a silver 38 on the south wall and a silver 48 east.
You go east through the 48 portal and... WHOA, that was unexpected. You're now in a different room with only two portals! The one on the south wall is marked with the number 18, and the one on the west wall is numbered 47. Both portals are silver.

In other news, is anyone else reading this puzzle?? I will put out a flyer in the chat.

[GalFisk]

I'm trying, but it's hard to wrap my head around all the information. If there was a map like the one posted above, which you updated every time you posted, it would be much easier to get into. Unfortunately I'll be very busy the rest of the week, but I'll make an attempt after.

[Balin]

I'm trying, but it's hard to wrap my head around all the information. If there was a map like the one posted above, which you updated every time you posted, it would be much easier to get into. Unfortunately I'll be very busy the rest of the week, but I'll make an attempt after. I am keeping a map with the steps followed so far; however, due to a piece of information that hasn't yet been discovered or noted, I haven't been able to post it. For now, use Biograd's map, which is very on point.

[Balin]

Hmm... let's give the player character a map.

You suddenly realize that you never checked your other pocket, having found the compass in one. You reach your hand in your other pocket and pull out a pencil. Now you can use it to take notes on the paper with the 5x5 grid and make a map.

Again, here's Biograd's map: http://textuploader.com/lovm

[biograd]

Wow that was a long jump! Please double-check that the 18 portal is actually silver now, and it wasn't just you being dizzy from going all that way
Then go west through the 47 portal and see where you end up.

[Balin]

Wow that was a long jump! Please double-check that the 18 portal is actually silver now, and it wasn't just you being dizzy from going all that way I take a deep breath, blink my eyes, and look again. Yep, the 18 portal is silver.
Then go west through the 47 portal and see where you end up. The room I'm in now, after heading west through the 47, has three silver portals: west 84, south 22, east 47.

[biograd]

Keep going west until you get to the room with the 30 portal on the south side, if you can.

Also, it might be useful to list what things we DON'T know.
--We don't know why the 18 portal changed color, or whether in fact it changed color at all. It may be that a portal can be a different color on the two sides. You should check that after you finish exploring the top row. Even if all black portals are silver on the reverse side, however, it still doesn't let us get into the closed-off part of the map.
--We also don't know if it is possible to use a skipping portal to "jump over" a black portal that is in your way. If we find any black portals in the top row, we know this is possible, and this would be a very useful "superpower" to have.

[Balin]

Keep going west until you get to the room with the 30 portal on the south side, if you can. I go west through the 84 and it puts me into that very room. The south portal is indeed the 30, and is silver. The east portal behind me is numbered 50, and is also silver. However, the west portal, the 48, is black.

Also, it might be useful to list what things we DON'T know.
--We don't know why the 18 portal changed color, or whether in fact it changed color at all. It may be that a portal can be a different color on the two sides. You should check that after you finish exploring the top row. Even if all black portals are silver on the reverse side, however, it still doesn't let us get into the closed-off part of the map.
--We also don't know if it is possible to use a skipping portal to "jump over" a black portal that is in your way. If we find any black portals in the top row, we know this is possible, and this would be a very useful "superpower" to have.

[biograd]

Hmm... so it does look like black portals are silver on the other side. But we didn't skip past it in the direction that it appears black, so it looks for now like we can't bypass them that way.

Try going east through the 50 portal. If you get back to the room you came from, then go south through the 22 portal. If instead you wind up in a room with portals numbered 50, 84, and 13, look what color the 13 portal is from this side.

[Balin]

Hmm... so it does look like black portals are silver on the other side. But we didn't skip past it in the direction that it appears black, so it looks for now like we can't bypass them that way. Some black portals are black on both sides; some are silver on one and black on the other.

Try going east through the 50 portal. If you get back to the room you came from, then go south through the 22 portal. If instead you wind up in a room with portals numbered 50, 84, and 13, look what color the 13 portal is from this side.
You did end back up in the room you came from (47/22/84), so you go south through the 22 portal and end up back in the 22/23/41/37 room.

[Mixomycetes]

Taking Biograds map and numbering agreement as a reference, there are two rooms we seem to have "skipped" from both sides: (2,3) and (3,5). At this moment, we have no direct way to these. Also: The three rooms in the South-West have all black doors around it. Maybe going south from (1,5) trough door 38 could jump to this area? Let's try that later? Later, we might also investigate what happens if we cross doorway 18 southwards from the (5,5) (NE) zone (with doors 47 and 18). Taking door 11 in zone (2,2) to the east, door 6 north from (3,1) or door 82 east from (4,1) are also a feasible candidates for investigation.

But for now:
Since we are in the neighborhood, let's investigate the unknown areas at the East side first!
Thus, take the silver portal 23 to the East and then go South trough doorway 44.
Continue South till we hit a black portal or a wall in front of us (South), or till we made another "jump" (unmatching numbers at the door we passed trough).

PS: I'm new at this forum, but really like lateral thinking, and matematical and geometrical puzzles.
Thus, Lets solve this beauty!

PS2: I also made a map similar to yours, but which contains our route & the black portals drawn in the zones themselves, since they can be different colours from either side.

[Balin]

Taking Biograd's map and numbering agreement as a reference, there are two rooms we seem to have "skipped" from both sides: (2,3) and (3,5). Correct, we haven't yet found a route into these rooms. At this moment, we have no direct way to these.
Also: The three rooms in the South-West have all black doors around it. Maybe going south from (1,5) trough door 38 could jump to this area? Let's try that later?
Later, we might also investigate what happens if we cross doorway 18 southwards from the (5,5) (NE) zone (with doors 47 and 18). Taking door 11 in zone (2,2) to the east, door 6 north from (3,1) or door 82 east from (4,1) are also a feasible candidates for investigation.

But for now:
Since we are in the neighborhood, let's investigate the unknown areas at the East side first!
Thus, take the silver portal 23 to the East Done; you're now in the 18/44/23 room and then go South through doorway 44. Going south through the 44 puts you in a room with three silver portals: north is 45, west 88, and south 77.
Continue South till we hit a black portal or a wall in front of us (South), or till we made another "jump" (unmatching numbers at the door we passed trough). Well, the 44 was a jump; do you want to go south through the 77?


PS: I'm new at this forum, but really like lateral thinking, and mathematical and geometrical puzzles.
Thus, Lets solve this beauty! Welcome to the forum! Always glad to see a new face - er, new username around.

PS2: I also made a map similar to yours, but which contains our route & the black portals drawn in the zones themselves, since they can be different colours from either side. Very good map! Two corrections, though:
-The 13 portal in room (3, 4) is silver. The south portal, 80, is black.
-Going west through the 75 portal in (3, 4) puts you in (1, 4), not (2, 4).

[Mixomycetes]

Thanks for the feedback on the map and its errors (& for the warm welcome!) These are fixed now (I hope) in the latest version.

Instead of continuing South through portal 77, I'd like backtrack to north through portal 45 first.
Does this bring us to (5,4) with portals 18/ - / 44 / 23, or do we end up in room (5,3) instead, with doors 44/ - / 45 / 12?

Either way, after looking at the colors and numbers of the portals in that zone, we go as south as far as we can (once trough portal 77) - 2-3 times?- , and then if we hit a wall on the south side, try go one zone to the west. In every zone we encounter we look & write down the numbers above each portal, their color, If there is anything unexpected (drawing, sign, paper, other color, etc) in any room, we stop. Else we stop after going West once.

Hopefull "Centrifugal" hypothesis: maybe we can jump from (4,1) to (1,1)?
-hoping this isn't going to award me a Theseus-acchievement...-

[Balin]

Thanks for the feedback on the map and its errors (& for the warm welcome!) These are fixed now (I hope) in the latest version. Looks good!

Instead of continuing South through portal 77, I'd like backtrack to north through portal 45 first.
Does this bring us to (5,4) with portals 18/ - / 44 / 23, You go north through 45 and end up in (5, 4). or do we end up in room (5,3) instead, with doors 44/ - / 45 / 12?

Either way, after looking at the colors and numbers of the portals in that zone, we go as south as far as we can (once trough portal 77) - 2-3 times?- ,

You go back south through the 44, putting you back in (5, 2), then go south through the 77 portal. In this room, there are just two portals: 77 on the north wall, and 40 on the west. Both are silver.

and then if we hit a wall on the south side, try go one zone to the west. In every zone we encounter we look & write down the numbers above each portal, their color, If there is anything unexpected (drawing, sign, paper, other color, etc) in any room, we stop. Else we stop after going West once.

You go west through the 40 portal and end up in a room with a black 54 portal in front of you (on the west wall), a silver 43 portal north, and a silver 5 portal east. Wait - you've been here already, haven't you?

Hopefull "Centrifugal" hypothesis: maybe we can jump from (4,1) to (1,1)? Interesting; what's your reason behind thinking this?
-hoping this isn't going to award me a Theseus-acchievement...-

[Mixomycetes]

Reason behind my guess that we might jump from (4,1) to (1,1), is that the image i drew (updated version can be found here) is starting to resemble a cyclone shape. I'd expect that the entry to the gold door would be on the West side, and that we could reach the west area by heading west from (3,1) (or possibly from portal 88 to the west from (5,2)).

But now that we are in the south, lets check the south side of the gold room first!
Thus: go north trough portal 43, and then East trough portal 11.

[Balin]

Reason behind my guess that we might jump from (4,1) to (1,1), is that the image i drew (updated version can be found here) is starting to resemble a cyclone shape. I'd expect that the entry to the gold door would be on the West side, and that we could reach the west area by heading west from (3,1) (or possibly from portal 88 to the west from (5,2)).

But now that we are in the south, lets check the south side of the gold room first!
Thus: go north through portal 43, This puts you in (3,2), which you have been in before
and then East through portal 11. Heading east through the 11 portal, you wind up in a new room. All four portals in this room are silver, with a gold 6 hanging over the south portal, a gold 82 adorning the east, a gold 24 gracing the north, and a gold 11 above the west.
You note that this is the first time you've seen a portal adjoining the center room that has been silver. Of course, this portal could just as easily send you to the exit as halfway across the map....

One more correction to your map: the west portal in (5,3) is 72, not 12.

[Mixomycetes]

Updated map can be found here.

With the golden room seamingly within finger's reach, the portal 24 in the North has a magnetic attraction! Therefore, without second tought, our hero traverses that portal!

(Though while traveling trough it, the thought comes to mind, that its quite irrealistic that it will actually lead to the golden room, being only 3 steps away from the starting point )

[Balin]

With the golden room seemingly within finger's reach, the portal 24 in the North has a magnetic attraction! Therefore, without second thought, our hero traverses that portal!
You pass north through the 24 portal and, as expected, don't end up at the exit.

(Though while traveling trough it, the thought comes to mind, that its quite irrealistic that it will actually lead to the golden room, being only 3 steps away from the starting point ) Depending on the 6 portal, which has not been traversed yet, it could be only 1 step away from the start.

[Balin]

Sorry, I forgot to put WHICH room you end up in. Give me a sec...

[Balin]

After passing north through the 24 portal, you find yourself in a room with only three portals, all silver. The north wall is blank, east is numbered 84, south is 13, and west is 50.

[Balin]

One more correction to your map: the 48 (west) portal in (2,5) is black.

[Mixomycetes]

Thanks for the correction (again). Sorry for the list of errors...
Updated map with added questionmarks in the (5) zones (apart from the golden room) we haven't visited

With this info, it's again time for a big leap of faith, then! Let's go to the east (first trough 84) once or twice, till we hit a blank wall in the east, and then go south if possible -expected trough silver portal 18, with black back-side.

(Latest) working hypothesis: going trough the silver side of a portal which is black at the other side, may make off-row-jumps to the silver side of another black portal (with similar orientation?). Therefore, it might lead us to zone (1,3), south out of portal 32!
-or any other yet unexplored zone-

[Balin]

Thanks for the correction (again). Sorry for the list of errors...
Updated map with added questionmarks in the (5) zones (apart from the golden room) we haven't visited We have also not yet visited (5,3)... or at least, not before this set of questions.

With this info, it's again time for a big leap of faith, then! Let's go to the east (first through 84) once or twice, till we hit a blank wall in the east, Going east through 84 puts you directly in the northeast corner room, with west 47 and south 18 silver portals.
and then go south if possible -expected through silver portal 18, with black back-side.
You go south through the 18 portal and end up in the sole unexplored room on the east wall: the north portal is 44, the south is 45, and the west is 72. All are silver!

(Latest) working hypothesis: going through the silver side of a portal which is black at the other side, may make off-row-jumps to the silver side of another black portal (with similar orientation?). Therefore, it might lead us to zone (1,3), south out of portal 32! That is not correct - the east 48 portal in (1,5) landed you in (5,5). The west portal in (5,5) is 47, which is silver on both sides. But a good guess.
-or any other yet unexplored zone-

[Mixomycetes]

Lets go to the west, then (portal 72). It is in the general direction we d like to reach, and may lead to the treasure room -or not-. In case we end up to the west of the golden room in the same row (3,x) and there is an accessible portal to the east, take that afterwards.

Ps: i cannot update the map at this moment, but will do so later today

[Balin]

Lets go to the west, then (portal 72). It is in the general direction we d like to reach, and may lead to the treasure room -or not-. From (5,3), you take the 72 portal west, and do not end up in the golden room. This room has four silver portals: north 12, east 27, south 52, west 74.
In case we end up to the west of the golden room in the same row (3,x) and there is an accessible portal to the east, take that afterwards. You can take the 27 portal east and do so, only to find yourself right back in (5,3), with silver portals 44 north, 45 south, and 72 west.

Ps: i cannot update the map at this moment, but will do so later today Thanks for keeping it updated.

[Mixomycetes]

Updated map

Hmm, not really getting us somewhere...

Well, I see two nearby options for further exploration:
* Go back to (2,3) through portal 72, and then head west into portal 74 (and hope the route back east leads us into the treasure room
* Go to zone (5,2) again, and go west into portal 88 from there.

This second option looks most interesting to me atm (thus the first one probably is the right track ).

But off we go:
The plan : "Aim to reach zone (5,2), and then go West (trough P88)."

And the approach, based on assumptions,experiences and logic deduction :
Direct attempt: Go South through P45.
A) if we exit from the same number portal on the other side (zone 5,2), go west trough (P88) .
Backup plans B to D:
If this direct attempt fails, go back North:
B) If this brings us back to (5,3): go NORTH trough portal 44 instead. will -assumably- lead to either of 2 possible cases:
B1) we end up in (5,4) -no jump in this direction-:=> go south again (p44) to (5,2), and then W through P88
B2) we end up in (5,5): -jump over 1 room- => go west (P47), south (p22) then East (p 23), south again (p44) to zone (5,2), and then W through P88
C) If this brings us in (5,4) => see B1
D) If we end in (5,5) => see B2
I think the above should be exhaustive- But, if we deviate from any of the above expected patterns:
Let's halt and rethink my assumptions (or someone else can take over ).

[Mixomycetes]

PS: who else has a view on, and/or interest in joining this puzzle?
It feels like I unintentionally hijacked this thread...

[BeachDude]

I do have an interest in this, Mixo, and Balin is really good at these types of puzzles. It's just that lateral mazes do take a lot of work to follow if you haven't been following the maze from the beginning. I would not feel guilty one bit for "hijacking" the thread and I'm sure that Balin would agree. As of now I am just reading along, trying to find a pattern (if there is one). Thanks for the map!.

[Balin]

Very exhaustive list of options, Mixomycetes!

Updated map Looks good!

Hmm, not really getting us somewhere...

Well, I see two nearby options for further exploration:
* Go back to (2,3) through portal 72, and then head west into portal 74 (and hope the route back east leads us into the treasure room That would get you into the unexplored rooms along the west wall...
* Go to zone (5,2) again, and go west into portal 88 from there. ...but that might do so as well.

This second option looks most interesting to me atm (thus the first one probably is the right track ).

But off we go:
The plan : "Aim to reach zone (5,2), and then go West (trough P88)."

And the approach, based on assumptions,experiences and logic deduction :
Direct attempt: Go South through P45.
Going south through 45 puts you in the bottom-right room, with portals 77 north and 40 west, both silver.

A) if we exit from the same number portal on the other side (zone 5,2), go west trough (P88) .
Backup plans B to D:
If this direct attempt fails, go back North:
Going north through the 77 portal puts you directly in (5,2)! Once again, the silver portals there are 45 north, 77 south, and 88 west.
Since the plan was to go through 88 west, you do so. You end up in a room with three silver portals - 52 north, 11 east, and 43 south - and one black portal (20 west). You check your map - this is room (2,2).

B) If this brings us back to (5,3): go NORTH trough portal 44 instead. will -assumably- lead to either of 2 possible cases:
B1) we end up in (5,4) -no jump in this direction-:=> go south again (p44) to (5,2), and then W through P88
B2) we end up in (5,5): -jump over 1 room- => go west (P47), south (p22) then East (p 23), south again (p44) to zone (5,2), and then W through P88
C) If this brings us in (5,4) => see B1
D) If we end in (5,5) => see B2
I think the above should be exhaustive- But, if we deviate from any of the above expected patterns:
Let's halt and rethink my assumptions (or someone else can take over ).

I do have an interest in this, Mixo, and Balin is really good at these types of puzzles. It's just that lateral mazes do take a lot of work to follow if you haven't been following the maze from the beginning. I would not feel guilty one bit for "hijacking" the thread and I'm sure that Balin would agree. As of now I am just reading along, trying to find a pattern (if there is one). Thanks for the map!. Thanks for the compliments! To help you and anyone else lurking along, I'll post a list of the player character's moves through the maze (in the next post).

[Balin]

Moves through the maze so far. Mixomycetes' map is up to date with all visited rooms; rooms that are still unexplored are marked with question marks, as are unknown portals. Rooms are marked in the form (x, y), where x is the column number and y is the row number.

Start in (3,1)
5 west: (2,1)
43 north: (2,2)
52 north: (2,4)
12 south: (2,2)
52 north: (2,4)
75 east: (4,4)
41 south: (4,3)
55 south: (4,2)
55 north: (4,3)
41 north: (4,4)
37 west: (3,4)
37 east: (4,4)
23 east: (5,4)
23 west: (4,4)
37 west: (3,4)
75 west: (1,4)
38 north: (1,5)
48 east: (5,5)
47 west: (4,5)
84 west: (2,5)
50 east: (4,5)
22 south: (4,4)
23 east: (5,4)
44 south: (5,2)
45 north: (5,4)
44 south: (5,2)
77 south: (5,1)
40 west: (2,1)
43 north: (2,2)
11 east: (3,2)
24 north: (3,5)
84 east: (5,5)
18 south: (5,3)
72 west: (2,3)
27 east: (5,3)
45 south: (5,1)
77 north: (5,2)
88 west: (2,2)

[Mixomycetes]

Updated map, with added (x,y) coordinates and latest moves.

Now that this route has been proved to be a side-track, it makes option 1, exploring the west side, more interesting.

(using abrev N E S W from now on, makes things shorter

Thus: From (2,2), go N using P52.
From (2,4), go W using P71.
Assuming we end up in (1,4), go N using P38,
then from (1,5) go E using P48.
Then from (5,5), go S using P18 ,
and finally from (5,3) go W using P72.

Now, where do we end up after these 6 steps?
Let's hope it's in (3,3)! But I'll settle for (1,3) or (2,3)...

[Balin]

Now that this route has been proved to be a side-track, it makes option 1, exploring the west side, more interesting.

(using abrev N E S W from now on, makes things shorter

Thus: From (2,2), go N using P52.
From (2,4), go W using P71.
Assuming we end up in (1,4), go N using P38,
then from (1,5) go E using P48.
Then from (5,5), go S using P18 ,
and finally from (5,3) go W using P72.

Now, where do we end up after these 6 steps?
Let's hope it's in (3,3)! But I'll settle for (1,3) or (2,3)...
You end up in (2,3), with silver portals 12 north, 27 east, 52 south, and 74 west.

[Mixomycetes]

From (2,3), let's go W using P74 then!

For the next move I'm temted to go right back East again trough the same portal we
came from!
Reasoning: This might be the only straight move left, that could let us end in the gold room. Though, now that I'm going over the options: we still have an untested route from (3,5) going S using P13 too ...

Anyway: If we end back in (2,3), please take P74 again, assumed towards (1,3) and take one portal in the south direction.

[Balin]

From (2,3), let's go W using P74 then! This new room has a black 32 portal north, a silver 74 east, and a silver 85 south.

For the next move I'm tempted to go right back East again through the same portal we
came from!
Reasoning: This might be the only straight move left, that could let us end in the gold room. Though, now that I'm going over the options: we still have an untested route from (3,5) going S using P13 too ...
You go back east through the 74 portal and end up right back in (2,3).

Anyway: If we end back in (2,3), please take P74 again, You do this, going west back into (1,3) assumed towards (1,3) and take one portal in the south direction.
This time you go south through the 85 portal. All three portals in this room are silver: 85 north, 20 east, and 14 south.

[Mixomycetes]

From (1,2) Lets go S now, using P14,
and (assumed from (1,1)) then go E using P54

[Balin]

From (1,2) Lets go S now, using P14, You go south through the 14 portal and end up in the most southwesterly room, with a silver 14 portal north and a silver 54 portal east.

and (assumed from (1,1)) then go E using P54 Going east through the 54 portal puts you in the last non-exit room you have yet to explore. A silver portal with a gold 7 over it is to the west; the silver portal to the north is adorned with the number 28; and the portal to the right, above which hangs a gold 40, is black.

Now that you've visited all the rooms, you decide to sit and think. Looking over your map, you know you have a few questions that need answering.
-First, you know that some portals take you to the next room in that direction, while others may jump over rooms before depositing you at your destination. But even those portals jump a different number of rooms. What factors determine how many rooms in a particular direction a portal takes you?
-Also, what is the significance of the black portals? Those are impassable, but what decides whether a portal is black or silver?
-Lastly, why the numbers at all? The numbers may seem random - at first glance, there is no pattern - but there must be some purpose to them. And why is the opening room the only one with single-digit number portals, when all the rest have two digits?

As you ponder this, you turn the compass over and over in your hand. You pause, noticing something: on the back of the compass, there is gold writing. Written in a circle around the perimeter of the compass are the words "WHAT'S MISSING?" This must be some sort of a clue....

[Mixomycetes]

Updated map

So, now comes the hard part: thinking! I'll think out loud, feel free to add your two cents! (or feedback, Balin?)

Some observations:
About jumping portals:
* It seems the # of jumped rooms from either side, is a fixed constant per portal (number?). If this jump would end us out of the map, the portal in question is black.

About black portals:
* One sided black => all of them have even numbers, and are even divisible by 4, except for portal 81 and 18 (which are divisible by 9).
* Both sides black: only P32 (that we know) is black on either side. 32 = 2^5,
* Not black but also divisible by 4: 44, 84,

About "what's missing?"
* Maybe the I, which is the 9th letter of the alfabet. => "9" could be a clue, or not
* Letter to number conversion, using A ==1, B ==2, etc?

Some PO-thoughts:
* A hypothesis on jumping portals:
If the P-nr is not divisible by 2 => doesnt jump any room.
If the nr is divisible by 2 (once), but not 3: jumps over 1 room
if nr is divisible by 2, 3, but not 4 => jumps over 2 rooms, etc.
theory is inconsistent for P18, P22 and P32 though...
* Should we calculate the prime factors below 10 for each portal, with 9 as an exception?
But, this theory would mean P6 would get us into the gold room... which is not likely, since we started there!

Open questions
* Why are most portals black on one side only, and why that side? Probably the logic includes other factors than just the portal number.
*Is there a mathematician around, who is good at calculating (small) prime numbers?
If this is the clue, very nice reference to the "Cube"-series, Balin!

@Anyone: Feel free to share your thoughts on this, I don't see any logic yet...

[Balin]

So, now comes the hard part: thinking! I'll think out loud, feel free to add your two cents! (or feedback, Balin?) Gladly.

Some observations:
About jumping portals:
* It seems the # of jumped rooms from either side, is a fixed constant per portal (number?). If this jump would end us out of the map, the portal in question is black. Correct.

About black portals:
* One sided black => all of them have even numbers, and are even divisible by 4, except for portal 81 and 18 (which are divisible by 9). That's very much on the right track.
* Both sides black: only P32 (that we know) is black on either side. 32 = 2^5, That's even closer.
* Not black but also divisible by 4: 44, 84,

About "what's missing?"
* Maybe the I, which is the 9th letter of the alphabet. => "9" could be a clue, or not The letter "I" is not a clue, but the number 9 most definitely is.
* Letter to number conversion, using A ==1, B ==2, etc? No, not this

Some PO-thoughts:
* A hypothesis on jumping portals:
If the P-nr is not divisible by 2 => doesnt jump any room.
If the nr is divisible by 2 (once), but not 3: jumps over 1 room
if nr is divisible by 2, 3, but not 4 => jumps over 2 rooms, etc.
theory is inconsistent for P18, P22 and P32 though...
No, your above thoughts on black portals were closer to the solution.

* Should we calculate the prime factors below 10 for each portal, Calculating all the prime factors would be a humongous help. with 9 as an exception? Why should 9 be an exception?
But, this theory would mean P6 would get us into the gold room... which is not likely, since we started there! On the right track!

Open questions
* Why are most portals black on one side only, and why that side? Probably the logic includes other factors than just the portal number. You answered this above: each portal will take you the same number of rooms, no matter which direction you enter. So if entering a portal from one direcion would take you out of the map, it's black on that side.
*Is there a mathematician around, who is good at calculating (small) prime numbers? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prime_numbers
If this is the clue, very nice reference to the "Cube"-series, Balin! I actually haven't seen the "Cube" films.

@Anyone: Feel free to share your thoughts on this, I don't see any logic yet... You've actually made some good logical jumps. Getting close.

[Balin]

Is there a mathematician around, who is good at calculating (small) prime numbers? Here are some divisibility tests for low prime numbers:
Divisible by 2: last digit is an even number
Divisible by 3: sum of all digits is divisible by 3
Divisible by 5: last digit is divisible by 5 (0 or 5)
Divisible by 7: no test, you have to divide
Divisible by 11: sum of digits in odd positions minus sum of digits in even positions is divisible by 11

[BeachDude]

I only saw the the originial Cube movie. I have to to say that although I was not that impressed (the acting was terrible), it is fine for a geeky night of entertainmant

[Balin]

I only saw the the originial Cube movie. I have to to say that although I was not that impressed (the acting was terrible), it is fine for a geeky night of entertainment Might have to give it a look then.

[Mixomycetes]

Centrifuge thinking:
Prime factors, then!
Hypothesis: Max # of NONunique prime factors (highest factor in the multiplication) == lenght of the jump?
Tests:
18 = 3^2 * 2^1 => two 3's => jump of length 2
32 = 2^5, impossible within the grid, thus black portal
48 = 2^4*3^1 => jump of length 4
14 = 7 ^1 * 2^1jump of 1,
38. == 2^1 x 19^1 => jump of 1
85 = 5^1*17^1
80 = 2^4*5^1 => out of the grid, thus black
etc etc

No counter-example found yet, thus seems a correct hypothesis untill proven wrong!
But, this doesnt lead us into the gold room yet...

However, P81 is having my interest now, despite it being black, because of the special number 9. Lets try that one, but why it would be special, i dont know...
We are in (4,1) now. Lets test: Go N trough P28 == 2^2 *7 => should get us into (4,3).
Then try to push a hand trough portal 81!

About cube:
the movie quality of the first one is quite bad, indeed. It's a cult movie, after all. Imho, the prequel (Cube 0) bis quite good imho, with some unexpected twists (I think its the 3rd one made in the series). The first and second (cube II) are similar in storyline, but to see at least one is an interesting experience -though you shouldnt be afraid of gore ).

[Balin]

Centrifuge thinking:
Prime factors, then!
Hypothesis: Max # of NONunique prime factors (highest factor in the multiplication) == lenght of the jump?
Tests:
18 = 3^2 * 2^1 => two 3's => jump of length 2
32 = 2^5, impossible within the grid, thus black portal
48 = 2^4*3^1 => jump of length 4
14 = 7 ^1 * 2^1jump of 1,
38. == 2^1 x 19^1 => jump of 1
85 = 5^1*17^1
80 = 2^4*5^1 => out of the grid, thus black
etc etc
This is correct! The highest exponent or power when a number is broken down into prime factors is the length of the jump.

No counter-example found yet, thus seems a correct hypothesis untill proven wrong!
But, this doesnt lead us into the gold room yet...

However, P81 is having my interest now, despite it being black, because of the special number 9. Lets try that one, but why it would be special, i dont know...
We are in (4,1) now. Lets test: Go N trough P28 == 2^2 *7 => should get us into (4,3). It does.
Then try to push a hand trough portal 81! You strain and strain against the black 81 portal, but no matter what you do, you can't get through it.

About cube:
the movie quality of the first one is quite bad, indeed. It's a cult movie, after all. Imho, the prequel (Cube 0) bis quite good imho, with some unexpected twists (I think its the 3rd one made in the series). The first and second (cube II) are similar in storyline, but to see at least one is an interesting experience -though you shouldnt be afraid of gore ). Depends on the gore. Some gory movies I don't really have a problem with, others I do.

[biograd]

It's clear from looking at all the portals in the row and column with the gold square (there are only 12 to check, and 2 of those are black anyway on the relevant side) that none of them will get us there. We also know that it's not possible to jump off one side of the map and wrap around to the other side (because we have determined that this will make the relevant portal black, and therefore impassable).

The only thing I can think of is changing the numbers, and the only way I could see doing that is by using the map to cover up one of the digits of one of the numbers. For instance, if we re-tape the map over the "4" on the 24 portal to make it look like a "2" portal, then by our rules it would lead one room away since it's a prime. I somehow doubt that what matters is what number looks like it's there, rather than the actual gold digits attached to the wall, but we are in a lateral maze after all.

[Balin]

It's clear from looking at all the portals in the row and column with the gold square (there are only 12 to check, and 2 of those are black anyway on the relevant side) that none of them will get us there. We also know that it's not possible to jump off one side of the map and wrap around to the other side (because we have determined that this will make the relevant portal black, and therefore impassable).

The only thing I can think of is changing the numbers, and the only way I could see doing that is by using the map to cover up one of the digits of one of the numbers. For instance, if we re-tape the map over the "4" on the 24 portal to make it look like a "2" portal, then by our rules it would lead one room away since it's a prime. I somehow doubt that what matters is what number looks like it's there, rather than the actual gold digits attached to the wall, but we are in a lateral maze after all. You don't have any tape, but you reach up and tap the "8" in 81. To your surprise, you can rotate it, although it stops moving when it hits the 1.

[Mixomycetes]

Interesting! Great input, biograd!

What's missing: a route to the golden room.

We know now that "8" (and/or mayb other golden numbers) can rotate...
* We could go to room (5,3), and try to turn the 7 from 72? change it into a 12... And go trough the portal "P12" to the west...
* Or wait!! 9 was special? => Probably we can turn the golden '6' in zone (3,1) it into a 9!

Thus:
Follow this path to (3,1) from (4,3):
go south using P55
go west trough using P 82
go south using P6.

Then try to tap /rotate the golden 6 above the (north) portal.
If it turns to a 9: go N from (3,1) trough the portal nr "9" .

[Balin]

Interesting! Great input, biograd!

What's missing: a route to the golden room.

We know now that "8" (and/or mayb other golden numbers) can rotate...
* We could go to room (5,3), and try to turn the 7 from 72? change it into a 12... And go trough the portal "P12" to the west...
* Or wait!! 9 was special? => Probably we can turn the golden '6' in zone (3,1) it into a 9!

Thus:
Follow this path to (3,1) from (4,3):
go south using P55
go west trough using P 82
go south using P6.
Done, and you're back in the starting room.

Then try to tap /rotate the golden 6 above the (north) portal.
You reach up and tap the 6 lightly. It slowly rotates, and after a few more taps, it stops upside-down. This portal is now number 9!

If it turns to a 9: go N from (3,1) trough the portal nr "9" . You step forward through portal 9 and wind up in a room with four black portals: 80 north, 81 east, 24 south, and 27 west. However, there is also a golden portal in the center of the floor. You step through the golden portal and end up...
.
.
.
outside your front door.

****SPOILER****

Well done, everyone, for making your way out of the maze! Special thanks go to:
-Galfisk and Tiger, for some early steps that got this puzzle on its feet;
-Biograd, for most of the grunt work in the middlegame and the last piece of information needed to solve;
-Mixomycetes, for coming in late and pushing forward to the solve;
-BeachDude, for giving encouragement;
-and everyone who lurked for enjoying the ride!

EXPLANATIONS OF CLUES:

As was already determined, the numbers above the portals are the clues to how many rooms that portal would take you. You had to break each number down to its prime factors; the highest exponent = the number of rooms you move. As an example, 40 = 2 cubed times 5, so that portal moves you 3 rooms. If going through a portal would jump you out of the map, the portal is black on that side instead of silver.

What wasn't figured out was the significance of the clue "What's missing?" written in gold circular text. The gold text clued towards the numbers; the fact that it was written in a circle hinted towards rotation. Except for the 6 in the starting room, none of the other numbers contained the digits 6 or 9. That meant that you had to go back to the starting room and turn the 6 upside-down into a 9 in order to reach the exit.

I believe that is all.

[Balin]

One more thing: Here is the map I was using. The top map contains the portal numbers; the bottom map is how many rooms that portal takes you.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EwFdM-Ofozy5ltWtVSJFkQAQ_IHk88k1xfwfLJBPH3s

[Mixomycetes]

Superb, we made it into the golden room!

@Balin: Thanks a lot for setting up this lateral maze puzzle! Must have been a lot of work!
You scattered some interesting clues along our path, I enjoyed every step of it (and there were a lot of them!).

PS: It's quite intriguing to observe -in hindsight- that we could have solved the entire puzzle with just 1 move!